Files and folders and shortcuts

Written by Larry Schneider
Thursday, 02 February 2012 01:00

Dear Larry,

Would you please explain the terms folders, files and shortcuts and how they differ from one another? —E.G.

Dear E.G.,

Information saved inside a computer is stored in discrete “packages” called files. You might think of a file in terms of one of your own documents — the letter you wrote to Aunt Ethel, little Elliot’s school essay on sea life, the spreadsheet summarizing business growth through the year 2012, and so forth.

But files encompass more than just a computer user’s documents. Programs are files, too. Whereas one of your document files contains information you’ve written or otherwise created, a program file contains detailed instructions to the computer on how to execute a task (in the same way that you might write down very specific instructions on how to get to your house or how to bake a cake).

Suffice it to say that your typical hard drive contains many files, some of which you’re familiar with, most of which you’re not. At last count, there were some 100,000 files stored on my computer. Of those, 10% to 15% are of my own creation. For most users, I would suspect their documents, music and pictures represent 5% to 10% of the total file count on the computer.

In the past, I’ve asked you to think of a hard drive as a file cabinet. Those 100,000 files of mine are arranged in nearly 6,000 drawers. These drawers or containers are referred to as folders on a computer.

Not only can a folder contain any number of files, it can also contain any number of other folders. It’s this nested method of classification that enables you to organize your work. On my computer hard drive, I have a Documents folder. Inside that folder, I have many subfolders, one of which is Accent on Computers. In the Accent on Computers folder, I have a Greenwich Post folder, among many others. You get the idea.

While nested folders offer an excellent means of organizing the vast amount of information stored on a computer, it can also mean frustration when it comes time to find one of those files. When you need to use Quicken, you have to tell your computer to execute the instructions stored inside Quicken’s main program file. It’s fair to say that most computer users wouldn’t know where to look for this file (or, for that matter, what it’s even called).

That’s where shortcuts come in. Shortcuts are small, special files that link to other files or folders buried deep in your hard drive. Any time you run a program on a Windows computer, you’re most likely starting it via a shortcut that resides on your desktop or within the Windows Start Menu. You can create shortcuts that not only link to programs but also transport you to a document you’ve written or to a folder you’ve created. A shortcut icon can be identified by looking for the little black, curved arrow that appears in the bottom left corner of the icon. Look for some of these on your Windows desktop.

This is Larry Schneider, logging off.

Larry Schneider is the owner of Accent on Computers, a Greenwich-based consulting firm catering to individuals, businesses and professional offices. Call 203-625-7575, visit Accentoncomputers.com, or send e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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